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Space Bound: Local Students Prepare Parts for NASA

By Tyler Maheu
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
CLAREMONT — Students at the Claremont Sugar River Technical Center are getting ready for blast-off as they create parts for NASA and the International Space Station (ISS).

For Machine Tooling and Engineering Instructor Steven Mountz, this opportunity first arose late last year. “I ended up applying to NASA Hunch in November,” he said. “I was turned onto it by another colleague of mine that works in Newport.” After the first application, things progressed quickly. “As soon as I contacted them, I had to fill out a resume with all my skills and what I have done in my career,” Mountz explained. “Then I outlined the capabilities of my shop and what lessons I was actually teaching. As soon as I reached out, it hit like wildfire. They were so happy to hear about us.”

Mountz comes to the position of molding the minds of young space engineers uniquely qualified. The instructor spent time early in his life as a member of the United States Air Force where he worked as an Aircraft Metals Technologist and taught Airmen machining and welding for four years. Upon retiring, Mountz applied his trade at both GS Precision in Brattleboro, Vermont and Timken in Keene. In August 2022, he was hired by the Claremont School District to take over for the retiring Scott Pope.

NASA Hunch is a program operated by NASA as a way to help teach the next generation of engineers. Their mission statement is as follows: “The HUNCH mission is to empower and inspire students through a Project Based Learning program where high school students learn 21st century skills and have the opportunity to launch their careers through the participation in the design and fabrication of real world valued products for NASA.” According to Mountz, his classes at the tech center are the 278th group of students to be involved, and only the second in New Hampshire, along with Kennett High School in North Conway.

In the minds of local aspiring engineers, the opportunity the program presents is limitless. “First off, I was really inspired by my older brother, he’s a mechanical engineer. Building Legos made me want to start really building things myself,” said Stevens senior Dominc Puksta of what got him interested in the school’s engineering programs. “Freshman year I started in the Engineering 1 class and slowly built my way up to this class now.” He continued on, explaining how the school’s engineering programs have helped him jumpstart a potential career path while also helping him expand his comfort zone.

According to Mountz, the parts the students are currently working on are called a “Tab” and a “Cover Plate.” He explained the function of the parts of email. “The Tab will be a component that will be bolted to an equipment rack and allow other components to be mounted to the rack. The cover plate will be similar, but it will encompass the entire body of the component being mounted. Both of these items will increase safety while in space, mounting whatever instruments that need to be secured and keep them in alignment, so they work properly.” Students are currently in the development process, working with 3-D printed parts.

“Anytime that they are sending stuff up to space, if they have room, they ask our students to sign it. So, their names are going to be on the ISS until they retire,” Mountz said proudly.

For both teacher and students alike, the potential future opportunities a program like this presents are the real prize. According to Mountz, NASA Hunch often offers paid internships for juniors and seniors at the Johnson Space Center where they would work hand-in-hand with NASA engineers.

Puksta sees both the possibilities for his school, and for himself coming off the backs of his involvement. “For the school, once we have more of these projects coming in, it really shows the capabilities of what our machine shop can do and the skillsets we have ourselves as students,” he said. “At the end of the day, you can get all these different learning experiences in one project. And as more and more come piling in, the more exposure and experience you can get with all these different tools that you could later thrive on in different jobs.”

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